Sixers reportedly interested in trading for PG Tyus Jones

It’s no question that the Sixers are in desperate need of help at the point guard position. Ben Simmons was supposed to run the offense this season, and when he injured his foot, newly acquired free agent Jerryd Bayless was going to be the player slated to play the point. Now, Bayless might not be ready for the start of the season, so the Sixers are left with T.J. McConnell and Sergio Rodriguez to play point guard.

It was evident to fans that the Sixers were desperate for guys to play the point when Nik Stauskas was getting PG minutes during the preseason. Now, the team may be exploring options outside of the organization to solve their point guard issues.

According the Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical, the Sixers, along with the New Orleans Pelicans are interested in trading for Minnesota Timberwolves PG Tyus Jones.

It was recently reported that the T-Wolves were resisting trade offers for veteran Ricky Rubio, and with the team’s selection of Kris Dunn with the 5th overall pick in this year’s draft, it appeared Jones would be the odd man out.

Jones, who was selected 24th overall by Minnesota in the 2015 NBA Draft, did not receive a lot of playing time in his rookie season. Jones averaged 15.5 minutes per game last season, and averaged 4.2 points and 2.9 assists per game in those minutes.

Jones is very good friends with Sixers center Jahlil Okafor, whom he played with for one season at Duke University. In 2015, the duo, along with Justise Winslow, led Duke to its fifth national title in school history. Jones was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament, as he led the team in both minutes (37) and points (23) in the championship game victory over Wisconsin.

Jones would obviously provide immediate depth at point guard to a team clearly lacking in that department. It is unclear whether Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo would be willing to trade a current player or strictly draft picks in exchange for Jones.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Tyler King covers the Phillies and Sixers for PHLSportsNation.com. He can be contacted via email at tylerking2623@gmail.com or on Twitter (@t_king26).

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